The Sassafras River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on the Delmarva Peninsula in the United States . It is approximately 22 miles (35 km) long and starts in western New Castle County , Delaware , and along the boundary between Cecil County , Maryland on the north and Kent County , Maryland on the south. It rises southwest of Middletown , Delaware and ends at the Chesapeake Bay in a wide mouth between Howell Point near Betterton , Maryland and Grove Point on Grove Neck.
11-677: It is south of the Elk River and north of the Chester River . The Sassafras River is entirely within the coastal plain. Its watershed area (including the water surface) is 97 square miles (250 km), with 83 square miles (210 km) of land. Thus, its total watershed area is 14% water. There are several small creeks on the northern shore of the Sassafras River, including Money Creek, Cox Creek, Foreman Creek, Back Creek, McGill Creek, Dowdel Creek, Hall Creek, and Duffy Creek. On
22-466: Is at leastdge for Maryland Route 213 . The deepest portion of the Sassafras is just about in the middle of the river, east of buoy 5 on the tip of Ordinary Point. There, the depth reaches more than 50 feet (15 m). Farther upriver, the river soon becomes too shallow for even the smallest runabout or personal water craft . The water there is only suitable for kayaks or canoes. Despite the depths of
33-940: The Chesapeake Bay on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and on the northern edge of the Delmarva Peninsula . It is about 15 miles (24 km) long. As the most northeastern extension of the Chesapeake Bay estuary , it has served as one entrance to the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal since the 19th century. The canal and river now serve as one boundary of the Elk Neck Peninsula . The river flows through Cecil County , Maryland , with its watershed extending into New Castle County , Delaware and Chester County , Pennsylvania . Elkton ,
44-670: The county seat of Cecil County, is located at its head. Its total watershed area is 143 square miles (370 km ) (including the Bohemia River ), with 21 square miles (54 km ) of open water, so its watershed is 15% open water. It is south and east of the North East River , and north of the Sassafras River . The Elk River begins at the confluence of Big Elk Creek and Little Elk Creek in Elkton, and ends at
55-410: The no wake zone (where boats may not exceed 5 mph), with the exception of Gregg Neck Boat Yard which extends from buoy 12 to just east of the 213 drawbridge . Also, some of the boat owners along the river who have private piers have decided to install boat lifts to lift their boats out of the water and away from the wakes. Elk River (Maryland) The Elk River is a tidal tributary of
66-567: The Chesapeake Bay at a 1.4 miles (2.3 km) wide mouth between Turkey Point on Elk Neck and West View Shores / Sunset Point. Little Elk Creek rises near Oxford, Pennsylvania , and the East Branch and West Branch of Big Elk Creek rise to the south of Cochranville, Pennsylvania . They descend through the Pennsylvania and Maryland Piedmont , before reaching sea level at Elkton, the head of navigation . There are several small creeks on
77-423: The river where boaters may anchor and swim, or they may choose to ski or tube in one of the river's many creeks and coves where wakes can be avoided as much as possible. Most of the piers along the river are fixed, as opposed to floating, with the exception of some of the marinas. This is because of the wakes, which can reach 2 feet (0.61 m) on a busy day. The marinas are protected to a certain degree because of
88-478: The southern shore of the river containing several large farms and a large pond was assembled into one property on which Liz Maytag and Mike Revuke lived. Following their deaths, it was donated for preservation as a wildlife sanctuary . They also were owners of The Granary, a marina and restaurant at Georgetown. The Sassafras River is home to many boats and four large marinas , all of which are located near Georgetown, Maryland (map) . The channel, marked by buoys ,
99-592: The southern shore small creeks include Lloyd Creek, Turner's Creek, Freeman Creek, Woodland Creek, Dyer Creek, Mill Creek, Swantown Creek, Jacobs Creek, and Herring Branch. On the 1612 John Smith map of the area, it was called the Tockwogh River . Several government-managed parks may be found on the southern shores of the river, some are national, some state, and some county parks. They range from historical and recreational parks to natural resource management areas and wildlife preserves. An entire peninsula along
110-409: The upper Sassafras, the lower portion of the river always is buzzing with boats during the weekends. There are many small bow-riders, cruisers , sailboats of all kinds, and occasionally, one may spot a large motor yacht . Most of the boats come from the marinas, but there are a number that come from private piers, most of which are on the southern side of the river. There are a number of beaches along
121-677: The western shore, including Muddy Creek, Jones Creek, Bull Minnow Run, and Plum Creek. On the eastern shore major tributaries are Back Creek, much of which is now the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, and the Bohemia River. Small creeks include Pearce Creek, Cabin John Creek, Herring Creek, and Perch Creek . 39°26′28″N 75°59′59″W / 39.44111°N 75.99972°W / 39.44111; -75.99972 Bohemia River Too Many Requests If you report this error to
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